Thursday, June 25, 2015

DESTINATION: Fort Stevens, Oregon

With our Pacific Northwest adventure coming to an end we said goodbye to Cannon Beach and drove north to Fort Stevens State Park near Warrenton, OR, on our way back to Portland.

Fort Stevens, WWII

Fort Stevens was once the primary military defense installation in the three-fort, Harbor Defense System at the mouth of the Columbia River (along with Forts Canby and Columbia in Washington). The fort saw service for 84 years, from the Civil War to World War II. We roamed through what is left of this important installation.

Fort Stevens, today

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Remnants of Fort Stevens

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On the beach at Fort Stevens is also what remains of the Peter Iredale. The Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel bark built in Maryport, England, in 1890 and owned by British shipping firm Iredale & Porter. On September 26, 1906, the Iredale left Salina Cruz, Mexico, bound for Portland, where it was to pick up a cargo of wheat for the United Kingdom. Despite encountering heavy fog, they managed to safely reach the mouth of the Columbia River. Unfortunately strong winds and currents made the vessel run aground and the ship was abandoned without any injuries.